After crossing over, he has no taboos among the zombies.

Chapter 1353

Ten days later, Yunlai City was bustling with activity at the morning market.

The cobblestone street was filled with vendors carrying their wares, and the snack stalls along the street were steaming with white mist. Sugar painting artists used their iron spoons to draw golden threads on the stone slabs, attracting cheers from the children who gathered around.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, a young man wearing a bamboo hat walked slowly by. The brim of the hat was tilted at an angle, and the filtered morning light cast dappled patterns of light on his shoulders.

He wore a faded coarse cloth shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the clean lines of his muscles.

His back was straight, like a pine tree facing the wind, and even when he was in a bustling crowd, he exuded a unique spirit.

Occasionally, half of his face would peek out from under the straw hat, a faint smile playing on his lips. His eyes were clear and bright, like a stream, and when he smiled, the corners of his eyes curved slightly, giving him a sunny and cheerful appearance. There was no trace of the ruthlessness he had displayed in the Demon Abyss.

The young man stopped in front of a vermilion gatehouse, where the four gilded characters "Longyun Trading Company" on the gate plaque shone brightly—this was the recognized number one trading company in Yunlai City.

He is Qin He.

Over ten days, he traveled eastward, traversing nearly half of the Xuanwu Continent, finally leaving the Divine Punishment Division's pursuers behind in the northern wilderness.

This continent is vast and boundless, and the power of the Divine Court is deeply entrenched. If one wants to establish a foothold in peace, a detailed map is essential.

As you lift the curtain to enter the shop, the copper bell rings softly.

A middle-aged shopkeeper with a goatee immediately emerged from behind the counter. He had high cheekbones and eyes like abacus beads, which swept over Qin He.

"Sir, please come in!"

The shopkeeper's voice was filled with the enthusiasm of a stock market shrewd businessman, but a strange feeling stirred within him—just a moment ago, he had sensed a faint, unusual aura emanating from the young man in coarse clothes, like a fire hidden beneath an icy pool.

Upon closer inspection, the young man's gentle features and the fact that his fingertips unconsciously helped the shopkeeper at the door to steady the tilted basket made him disappear without a trace.

"Please trouble you, shopkeeper. I need a map of the Xuanwu Continent, the more detailed the better." Qin He took off his bamboo hat, revealing his full appearance. The shopkeeper thought he was just an ordinary rogue cultivator.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The shopkeeper turned around and pulled a roll of animal hide map from the shelf. "This is our best-selling item. It clearly marks mountains, rivers, towns, and passes!"

Qin He unfolded it and frowned slightly.

The map did indeed mark the main place names, but many remote areas were blank, let alone the affiliation of any factions. He tapped the edge of the map with his fingertip: "Shopkeeper, do you have anything more detailed? For example, marking the sects and factions in various places, and... the factions that are involved with the Divine Court."

The shopkeeper's eyes flickered, and he immediately shook his head: "Sir, you are joking. Where would I find such a map? This is already the most detailed one I have."

As he was about to collect the map, his fingertips unconsciously rubbed against the hidden compartment inside the counter.

This subtle movement did not escape Qin He's notice.

He remained calm, his fingertips subtly gathering demonic energy. A faint gray aura drifted out through the crack in the counter, a spell: "True Word Technique."

"I've heard that your esteemed merchant guild possesses a secret catalog," Qin He said casually, as if mentioning it offhand. "If the manager is willing to produce it, the price is negotiable."

"It's just a rumor, but here I..." The shopkeeper was about to retort when his throat seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, and the words he was about to say changed his tone: "It is indeed there, in the hidden compartment below, haha."

As soon as he said it, he froze, staring wide-eyed at Qin He, his face full of confusion—how could he have told the truth?

Qin He suppressed a laugh and gestured, "Please trouble the shopkeeper to fetch it and take a look."

"Ah, this, yes, yes." The shopkeeper absentmindedly took out the key, opened the hidden compartment, and took out a palm-sized book of illustrations covered in sandalwood.

Qin He took it and opened it, his eyes lighting up instantly—this wasn't a map, it was clearly a comprehensive book of regions!

The inner pages contain detailed illustrations printed on animal hides, with large images nested within smaller ones. The illustrations include phrases such as "Star-Picking Pavilion is under the jurisdiction of the Myriad Beasts Sect, whose leader has a past relationship with the Divine Court envoy," and "Cold Water Bay has a thousand-year-old ice crystal mine, which is exclusively owned by the Dragon Family." The illustrations even mark the locations of several secret teleportation points of the Divine Court.

"This is the one." Qin He closed the book. "Name your price."

The shopkeeper then came to his senses, his eyes darting around, revealing a cunning look: "Sir, you have a good eye! This secret treasure map is priceless, a fixed price of one thousand high-grade spirit stones!" He was certain that the young man couldn't afford that much money, so he took the opportunity to buy back the map.

Qin He raised an eyebrow, his fingertips twitching again.

The spell silently landed on the shopkeeper.

"Stop pretending." Qin He said calmly, "The cost and profit of this book are at most two hundred high-grade spirit stones."

The shopkeeper's face instantly fell, and he subconsciously replied, "That's the price for regular customers. This catalog is extremely rare, and demand far exceeds supply. Even if a member of the Long family came to buy it, it would cost two hundred high-grade spirit stones. You're a new customer... I can only give you two hundred and twenty at most, no less. I'll just make twenty yuan for my trouble!"

After saying that, the shopkeeper wished he could bite off his own tongue, and stared at Qin He with a stiff expression.

Two hundred and twenty high-grade spirit stones—it's practically money to be made.

Last time someone offered him 800, but he didn't sell.

"Deal!" Qin He said readily, taking out a brocade pouch from his pocket and pouring out one hundred lustrous, high-grade spirit stones, placing them on the counter.

After saying that, Qin He grabbed the picture book and strode away.

The shopkeeper opened his mouth, but in the end, he slapped himself lightly. Behind the counter, he fiddled with the abacus, calculating that after deducting costs and the merchant's commission, he had only earned less than five spirit stones.

This deal didn't make any money.